Welcome to the ibd Eastern Group of
Business Development Consultants

Whichever source of outside help you are considering, they should be able to give satisfactory answers to any of these questions.  We certainly can!

1. Why should I use your services?
   • If your business faces serious issues, you really must be addressing them.  We can work with you to do this.  Our Business Advisers can help you to see clearly what these issues are, then work with you to develop strategies and plans to address them, and crucially be available to help you implement the plans - thus allowing your business to derive the full value of eliminating these issues.
2. What can you do for my business?
   • Our Business Advisers can help you to see clearly what these issues are, then work with you to develop strategies and plans to address them, and crucially be available to help you implement the plans - thus allowing your business to derive the full value of eliminating these issues.
3. How will you fix my problems?
   • That is impossible to say until we know what the issues are.  We never lead with solutions before we both understand the problems.
4. What will it cost me?
   • That's impossible to say too, until we know what the problems are and we have agreed the best solutions.
5. What's your daily rate?
   • Quite simply, none of our Business Advisers have one!  We just don't charge that way.  We agree with you a fixed price for a fixed-scope project.  How ever long it takes, as long as it's within the scope then it's within the fixed price.
6. Why should I take all the risk?
   • You won't!  Because we set our fees this way, the risk is shared and we both know where we stand, right from the beginning.
7. What do you know about my industry/market?
   • We will never know as much as you do, although we may well have some experience in your area.  What is important is that we know our trade, and working together we will make an excellent team.  Because of the size of our group, we are also able to bring in 'best practices' and 'innovative thinking' from other sectors when needed, in order to help resolve your issues.
8. How do I know you'll be able to do what you've just promised?
   • All of our Business Advisers have built their reputations by doing what they said they would do, and none of them would want to tarnish their reputation by doing otherwise.  Before you agree to working with one of them, you have the opportunity to get to know them and start building a relationship with and trust in them.  If you still have any concerns, each of our Advisers will guarantee that if, during the first four weeks of a project you have any fears that the end result will not be achieved, just let them know and they will stop right there and will not invoice you for the second half of their fee.
9. How are you different from all the other consultants out there?
   • We would never cast aspersions on our competitors, but how many of them can answer all these questions as positively as we are prepared to do?  How many of them are as open with you as we are prepared to be?  How many of them will 'roll their sleeves up' and help you implement the plans they create?
10. Won't you just deliver your report and leave me to get on with it?
    • In a word, No!  At least, not unless you want us to only do that!  We make ourselves available to work with you on the implementation of our plans in whatever way we agree is the best use of us a one of your resources.
11. Will you take my problem away and bring it back fixed?
    • No!  We are not magicians.  We don't have magic wands we can wave to fix your problems for you.  We work with you on addressing your business issues, which requires commitment from both of us.  It is very important that you take your business forward based on decisions you have made yourself, but based on our suggestions where you need them.
12. What experience do you have of these sorts of problems?
    • Between all our Business Advisers, there are few business issues that we haven't addressed at some time, in some way already.  On every one of your issues, we will get the best expert we have available working with you to fix them.
13. Will you be doing all the work yourself?
    • That depends on what is needed, which as we have said previously depends on us both understanding your problems.  Individually, we will introduce the best available expert each time, and collectively we will only go outside the group to other trusted associates if we cannot find suitable expertise within it.
14. Please can you give me a fixed price quote for sorting my problem?
    • Absolutely!  That is how we set all of our fees.
15. What sorts of clients have you worked with previously?
    • The list is long and varied.  Can we suggest that first of all you look at the testimonials page on our website.
16. What happens if something else crops up while we're working together?
    • If it is within the scope of the current project, it gets done within the terms of the current project.  If it is outside the scope of the current project we can discuss it as a separate, separately chargeable project.  If it is a distraction from the current project, you can ask for a 'time out' and we will look at all the ramifications of doing this before you embark on it.
17. How long will you take?
    • When we give our fixed price for a fixed-scope project, we also give our best estimate of both elapsed time and 'one-to-one' time.  The 'one-to-one' time can be flexible as we both will put in whatever time it takes to complete the project.  The elapsed time will form part of the scope of the project and as we work together we will continually monitor our likely end date.  If we look like going beyond this date we will discuss how we can get back on track, or in the worst case agree a new end date.
18. When will I be invoiced?  Do you impose any special payment terms?
    • Our standard terms for any project are 50% before we start and 50% four weeks after the start date, and our invoices are payable on presentation.
19. What good will you do me?
    • That is really for you to say.  When you fully understand the issues and problems facing you and your business, you will also fully understand the value of getting rid of them.
20. How do I know I can trust you?
    • Every Consultant and Business Adviser will claim to be trustworthy, and we wouldn't say otherwise.  Our Business Advisers are skilled at establishing credibility, rapport and reliability with clients very quickly, and it is through this ever strengthening relationship that the level of trust continues to build.
21. What discount will you give me?
    • None!
22. What happens first?
    • The initial part of almost any project will be a period of intensive fact-finding, although the format of this will vary from issue to issue, from Adviser to Adviser.
23. Can you work within my budget?
    • Because of the way in which we set our fees, based on the value you and your business will get from having completed whatever project we work on, we rarely ask clients about their budget right at the start of our first conversation.  By the time we present our proposals to you, if you were to say you preferred the 'gold' service but could only afford the 'bronze' service, then we would go ahead on the 'bronze' service.  But whichever option you choose, you will get a massive return on your investment.
24. When will you finish?
    • Part of our discussions, and therefore part of the scope of any project, would be the measures by which will both know that we have reached the end.  This is the point at which we would stop.
25. What choices do I have?
    • Apart from the two obvious choices of doing nothing and going elsewhere for help, we would almost always suggest several options to you in any proposal.  Every option would solve the basic problem, but each would be of different value to you and your business, and thus have a different fee attached.
26. Will I have to sign a complicated contract?
    • The agreements we sign with our clients are legally binding but are not in our belief complicated.  The usual length is around three or four pages, and there is definitely no 'small print'.
27. Can I just engage you on a retainer basis?  How much work will you do for me if we work in this way?
    • Of course you may, at any time.  A retainer arrangement does not include any pre-agreed amount of work.  A retainer arrangement is guaranteeing you access to your chosen Business Adviser via one representative from your side.  This access may be limited in terms of time and days, and is not a guarantee of instant availability.  Instead we do guarantee a response to your contact within an agreed time.  Any issue can be discussed and any issue that can be fixed in the space of a five or ten minute conversation is within the scope of the retainer arrangement.
      However, if any more work than this is needed to resolve an issue, it would form a separately chargeable project.

To book an initial no-charge, no-obligation meeting to discuss how we might be able to help you and your business, please just let us have your details.

Name:

E-Mail:

One of our Business Advisers will contact you within the next two working days to arrange a mutually convenient date, time and place to meet to discuss the business issues you are facing.

E-mail dg09@ibd-eastern.co.uk